Cleveland Dinner Cruise

View Cleveland from Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River while on dinner cruises. (Photo: cleveland flats from the river image by Pix by Marti from Fotolia.com )

Cleveland, Ohio, might not be the first destination that springs to mind when you think of dinner cruises, but Lake Erie - the smallest of the Great Lakes - accommodates several cruise operations, as does the Cuyahoga River. Ranging from romantic to raucous, Cleveland dinner cruises are affordable, entertaining and informative.

The Majestic

The 100-foot Majestic, a yacht docked where the Cuyahoga River meets Lake Erie in the Cleveland Flats, is available for private parties as well as regular lunch and dinner cruises. One of the more popular public events is the Murder Mystery Dinner Cruise, an interactive themed event that includes 1940s music, dancing, choice of dinner entrees and a cash bar. Put on your Sam Spade fedora and join the clever cast in ferreting out the suspects while cruising the shores of Lake Erie and navigating the bends of the Cuyahoga.

The Majestic
PO Box 45294
Westlake, Ohio 44145
440-243-5141
majesticyacht.com

Goodtime III

Leaving from its tiny snug harbor adjacent to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Goodtime III is specifically oriented toward the tourist trade. The Goodtime III offers narrated cruises of both the lake and the river during lunchtime and into the afternoon in addition to dinner and dance cruises on weekends. Nighttime cruises start as late as 9:30 and guests must be 21 or older to participate. In keeping with Cleveland's rock and roll tradition, there's a live band on the lower deck and a deejay above, so expect a night of lively entertainment and audience participation. Prime rib dinner service is served buffet style, but seating is assigned. After dinner, you can roam the decks at will, taking in the sights and lights of the shore.

Goodtime III
825 East Ninth Street Pier
North Coast Harbor
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
216-861-5110
goodtimeiii.com

Nautica Queen

The Nautica Queen offers daily sunset dinner cruises that range from tropical theme parties and wine tastings to special family evenings and holiday dinners. Leaving from the Nautica Entertainment Complex - which houses the old Sugar Warehouse and the restored Powerhouse - the cruise passes beneath several historic river bridges as it wends its way from the Flats to emerge on the shore of Lake Erie. Children are welcome on the dinner cruises, and those under age 11 dine for half price. Dinners are buffet style with open seating on all decks and alcohol is charged separately.

The Nautica Queen